Fears of a possible nuclear disaster have increased as recent staff cuts by Russian authorities manning the Zaporizhzhia power plant have significantly reduced Ukraine’s security levels.
Rafael Grossi, Secretary General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), noted that security at the Russian-occupied Zaporozhye nuclear power plant in Ukraine remains fragile and there are fears of a possible nuclear disaster.
As for the staff cuts that the Russian authorities have made in this place, they have recently led to a significant decrease in the level of protection provided to Ukraine. Zaporizhia is one of the ten largest nuclear power plants in the world.
Grossi, who is in Kiev, said that since the war began almost two years after it began, his next visit to the factory would be aimed at assessing the impact of recent staff cuts after Russia cut off access to employees of the Ukrainian company Energoatom refused to go to the facilities.
Reasons for the low number of employees at the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant
The reasons for the cuts can be varied. Some workers fled, many did not want to stay in occupied territory, and those who chose to stay did not want to work for Russia. The purpose of this review is to assess and prevent a possible nuclear disaster.
“Some continued to work, and my Russian colleagues tell me that they are hiring more and more people. So we have to check that“said Rafel Grossi.
They want to prevent a nuclear catastrophe
The plant’s six reactors have been out of service for nearly 18 months and are not producing electricity but still contain large amounts of nuclear fuel that needs to be cooled.
The collapse of the dam in June jeopardized access to the reservoir, from which water was drawn for cooling.
To solve the problem, the factory administration dug a well. “Now let’s see how it developssaid Grossi.
Access for IAEA experts to all industrial facilities remains restricted as Russian authorities reject requests for access to some areas.
With information from: